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Broker Comparison

Acorns vs M1

Compare Acorns and M1 side by side: fees, regulation, platforms.

Acorns

Acorns

Hands-off investors who want automated ETF portfolios

Acorns is an automated saving and investing app with ETF portfolios, Round-Ups, retirement accounts, and pric…

VS
M1

M1

Long-term investors using automated portfolios

M1 combines automated Pies for stocks, ETFs, funds and crypto with scheduled trade windows, cash accounts and…

Head-to-head comparison

Acorns vs M1
Feature Acorns M1
Minimum deposit No minimum opening deposit or minimum balance required for Mighty Oak and Emergency Savings banking services —
Stock trading fee No commissions Regulatory expenses occur when users sell a stock or ETF
Regulators SEC, FINRA SEC, FINRA
Best for Hands-off investors who want automated ETF portfolios Long-term investors using automated portfolios
Markets & account
Stocks
ETFs
Crypto
—
Bonds
—
Investment Plans
Ready Made Portfolios
—
Funds
—
Margin
—

Pros & cons

Acorns

Acorns

Pros

  • Round-Ups invest spare change once it reaches at least $5
  • Automatic rebalancing keeps Base portfolio allocations on track
  • Dividends are automatically reinvested
  • No hidden costs, transaction fees, or commissions stated
  • Checking has no overdraft, maintenance, or AllPoint ATM fees
  • Gold adds individual stocks and ETFs to Custom Portfolios
  • SIPC protection up to $500,000 for Invest, Later and Early

Cons

  • Lowest listed subscription is $3/mo.
  • Gold costs $12/mo. for the full suite
  • Custom Portfolios are available only to Gold customers
  • Acorns Early Invest is a Gold subscription exclusive
  • Money Manager is available with Acorns Gold
  • No direct Bitcoin access; exposure is through BITO ETF
  • Investment products are not FDIC insured or bank guaranteed
M1

M1

Pros

  • No commission, trading or management fees on self-directed brokerage accounts
  • Pies invest new deposits toward target allocations automatically
  • Dynamic rebalancing buys underweight Slices first
  • One-click rebalancing returns a Pie to preset targets
  • Cash accounts show 3.10% APY and FDIC insurance up to $4.75 million
  • Margin loans shown at 5.65% with no minimum payment or late fees
  • Crypto Pies use Bakkt custody and can trade 7 days a week

Cons

  • $3 platform fee applies below $10,000 in M1 assets unless waived
  • Trades execute during scheduled trade windows, not in real time
  • Crypto holdings are not FDIC or SIPC insured
  • Crypto on-demand trading is limited to 10 trades per calendar month
  • Margin loans require at least $2,000 invested in eligible accounts
  • Crypto can't be included in an IRA
  • Outgoing account transfers cost $100
Acorns

Acorns

Acorns is an automated saving and investing app with ETF portfolios, Round-Ups, retirement accounts, and pricing from $3/mo.

Visit Acorns Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

M1

M1

M1 combines automated Pies for stocks, ETFs, funds and crypto with scheduled trade windows, cash accounts and margin loans.

Visit M1 Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

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